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"Don't bet against Marvel." That seems to be the best answer when it comes to any questions about what Marvel Studios is capable of accomplishing these days. Can they really build a vast cinematic world spanning many franchises? Can they turn lesser-known characters into global powerhouse franchises? Can they deliver great stories that just keep getting better? Can they make all of the money on Earth? Yes, always yes.

So don't bet against them, because you'll lose. And with Marvel's upcoming superhero sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they're about to demonstrate the wisdom of that advice yet again. Because it's not just destined to be another solid and financially successful entry in their collection of comic book films, it's one of the best the genre has ever seen and takes Marvel's cinematic endeavors in a more complex, serious, and dramatic direction. Let's look at the raw numbers, and then at what makes this movie so great.

Marvel Studios has raked in a massive $5.67 billion at the worldwide box office so far, with seven films comprising five franchises. By the end of this year, those numbers will without any doubt surpass at least $6 billion (and that's just if the two Marvel releases this year -- Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy -- flop, which won't happen) and probably closer to $6.5+ billion. Then comes 2015, when Marvel will probably add something close to $2 billion to their global take, from the solo outing Ant-Man and the sequel that could eat the box office -- The Avengers: Age of Ultron. At that point, the count will stand at around $$8-9 billion from seven franchises and a total of 11 movies.

How many other studios can boast an average box office of around $770+ million per film? They'll have achieved those numbers in just eight years, a remarkably brief time in which to create seven franchises with that kind of consistent overall average level of success. And just to put a fine point on it, all of this has been accomplished within a single cinematic universe, every film connected together and all planned out in intricate detail to fit into a larger plan that stretches several years into the future.

Back in 2008, there was a sea of naysayers who didn't believe Marvel could pull it off, let alone pull it off while delivering actual high-quality content and consistently making big profits to boot -- and I admit that while I was hopeful and often argued how and why it might work, I was also among those who felt having an overarching plan with studio executives too hands-on could mess up an already difficult and complicated agenda. Even after The Avengers, many fans and media insisted it was just a fluke due to morbid interest in the superhero team-up concept, and that Marvel would flounder quickly thereafter. Well, "thereafter" has arrived, and not a flounder in sight.

I challenge anyone to find a remotely comparable example from any other studio in film history. What Marvel has achieved here is unprecedented. And it spans from cinema to television, since they've already got one TV program that exists as part of their film universe, plus three more solo superhero shows and a superhero team-up mini-series developing for Netflix.

So, it's time to put away the resentments, knee-jerk skepticism, or whatever fuels the remaining doubters. Marvel won. And come opening weekend, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is going to prove the point yet again. It's still two weeks away, but I'm going to give an obviously bullish estimate of somewhere in the $90 million to $100 million range for domestic opening weekend. I expect it to enjoy plenty of interest, including some strong repeat viewership that should help boost the final weekend tally. $100 million is of course the high end if all the stars align for it, so $90 million is more likely. That would be a hefty 46% improvement over the first film's opening, and put it on pace for an overall cume of $600-700 million worldwide (domestic plus foreign).

Those numbers are on par with last November's Marvel super-sequel Thor: The Dark World, which took in $644 million and counting after opening to $85 million in North America, close to matching the global take for Superman's big reboot Man of Steel. If Captain America can match or even top the God of Thunder's opening, that bodes well for the new film's long-term prospects.

Consider, too, that Captain America: The Winter Soldier will have almost a month of very little real competition, so good word of mouth plus solid critical reception (it's early, but reviews so far are overwhelmingly positive) could translate into long legs and a performance in the same range as Thor's sequel outing last year, perhaps even a bit better. For now, I'll stick with an initial guess of about $600+ million for final worldwide receipts. I'll adjust that up or down depending on opening weekend and second weekend tallies. But I wouldn't expect anything less than $550 million as the lowest end estimates for a final take, while conversely I'd be shocked if it brings in more than $700 million, since that would be such a huge leap over the first film's box office (and the character is still named "Captain America," which probably limits his solo prospects at the overseas box office somewhat).

Now, let's talk about why that word of mouth and critical reception are likely to be so positive...

This is more than just another superhero sequel. It's an espionage thriller, it's a spy movie, it's a top-notch action-adventure, and it's superhero cinema as serious grounded drama that reflects important social/political questions of our time. It's a film you can enjoy even if you haven't seen any other superhero movies before. Indeed, it's a superhero movie you can enjoy even if you don't like superhero movies in general.

This is sort of what you'd get if Tom Clancy wrote a 1970s-type paranoid political thriller about Jason Bourne battling a secret evil conspiracy to take over our military-industrial complex and turn it against the entire planet, including ourselves. Oh, and if Bourne dressed up as a superhero sometimes, to fight an villainous assassin with a metal arm. It's smart, exciting, funny, sexy, and not afraid of asking questions about the danger posed by pursuit of security at the expense of liberty. If you want strong plotting and character interaction, you'll be happy. If you want big, bold action sequences -- among the best of any of the Marvel films so far -- you'll be happy. If you want a surprise amazing appearance by an unexpected, unbilled character in one of the most unique cameos so far in the genre... well, yeah, you're gonna be very happy. Bless you, Toby Jones.

There is plenty of significant character development, with Chris Evans once again proving how perfectly cast he is as Steve Rogers aka Captain America. He has several moments where his projection of leadership, pure power of will, and personality come through so strikingly it's impossible to imagine anybody else donning the persona.

This is as definitive a cinematic portrayal of a particular superhero and his world as was Christopher Nolan's Batman or the Iron Man films starring Robert Downey Jr. I know plenty of fans will scoff at my daring to compare a Captain America film to either of those other exceptional franchises, but I assure you it's not a comparison I make lightly. Of the Marvel films, I am challenged by trying to decide if Captain America: The Winter Soldier might surpass The Avengers and Iron Man 3 as the overall best Marvel Studios film so far. I will have to see the film a few more times, and rewatch those other earlier movies, before making any final determination. But right now, I know for sure this newest film is among the top three from Marvel and probably among the top two. The point being, it's just flat-out fantastic, and part of the reason is Evans' performance embodying the character so thoroughly and building upon his great turns in Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers.